What is Garage Cinema?Garage Cinema is an entirely independent film review blog that’s hopefully of interest to anyone who loves movies. However, it also aims to provide local information and news for cinephiles in Sussex.

Who writes the website?The website is written by me, Simon Rose, as a labour of love from my home near Lewes in East Sussex.

I’ve loved cinema ever since my first visit as a child – the magic feeling of forgetting everything and escaping to a different world for a couple of hours when the lights go down has never left me.

Independent cinemas and their unique atmosphere are also special places. I was a teenager growing up in the 1980s when cinemas starting disappearing. My local, The Rex in Haslemere, was knocked down and replaced by an old people’s home. The original Odeon in Guildford is another old haunt that’s now long gone - replaced by a characterless multiplex on the edge of town. The fact that many independent cinemas are now flourishing is fantastic. For me personally, it’s also an exciting time to be living near Lewes, with the prospect of The Depot opening in 2017.

Why Garage Cinema?There are a few reasons behind the name. First and foremost it’s inspired by the 12-seat cinema I built (purely for personal use) within my garage at home. I used to live in Devon and the idea came to me when the Barn Cinema in Dartington was being refurbished and I spontaneously asked the manager there if I might be able to take some of the old seats.

The name also stems from sharing a crossover meaning with the 1960s ‘Garage rock’ scene, when groups were inspired to form bands and practice in the family garage. Finally, I just like the name really!

How do you decide which films to review?My focus is on any new releases I’m able to see. I have a full-time job and busy family life so it’s impossible for me to provide a full review service. As well as new films, if I’m inspired to write by an old release l’ve recently watched on DVD I will review that (for example my review of Whiplash). I’d like the blog to also work as an archive, so not every review needs to be a new release.